Memorial Day Weekend

We are honoring those we have lost and those serving our great country this weekend.  We started the weekend off with the Surprise Memorial Day Parade.  It was a lot of fun, great patriotism, and some neat floats.  Wyatt was so happy to see the firetrucks and police cars, and he waved at everyone.  Taylor also enjoyed all the sirens and emergency vehicles.  Chris has to work the immigration protest in Phoenix so he couldn't go with us (GRRRR).  Here are some pictures of the kids, Taylor with her friend-Rebecca.  Wyatt in all his diaper glory, looking straight and handsome!  We got news from Children's Hospital finally on his x-ray in March.  His curve is at 10 degrees (down from 30 a year ago) YAY!  No x-rays for 9 more months!  What a champion he is!  

Summer Fun Poolside at Uma & Papa's

We have spent a lot of time at Uma & Papa's house as it is getting hotter and hotter, mostly in the pool!  The kids are both getting to be good little "floaters" and learning the basics of swimming.  They love floating in the duck net floatie, or jumping into the pool!  Wyatt is a fish, he loves to kick and has no fear!  Taylor is learning the basics and doing a great job of getting her face wet finally.  Here are some pics of one of our many days at the pool.  Wyatt and his Papa hanging out on the patio, Chris kicking back and all having a great time!

My new website!

I have to say I am proud of my new website so here is the link!

http://www.birthingpeacefully.com/

I am hoping the laws of attraction start working around me, and sending those beautiful pregnant women my way.  I miss birth work so much...I met with a potential client last night and was reminded of why I love it.  There is something truly lovely about a woman who is growing a human!  The opportunity to be a part of that journey, and to get be a witness to new life, THAT is transformative.  I guess I am a birth junkie, no more babies for me, but I love the process!  More on this later, I was gone last night at this meeting so I came home to a sleepy house, but one that has dishes piled in the sink, sticky mystery junk on the floor, toys EVERYWHERE, yeah, I can tell Daddy was in charge.  At least both kids are clean and still asleep.  Kudos to him for that!!!!!

A Few Favorite Pictures

These are a few pictures that I just love of the family.  One really classic of Wyatt eating spaghetti.  That is how he looks after every meal though, he wears it!  He requires a minimum of 2 baths a day.  Anyway, just love these pics and thought I would post them!

Catch Up

Just trying to catch up on our blog this morning while watching Wyatt play in the grass, and Taylor is busy with her best little girlfriend swinging and pushing strollers around.  The weather has been gorgeous here, but it is going to be getting super hot now so we will be playing outdoors early in the a.m. and late in the p.m.!  We had a wonderful Mother's Day, the kids were dedicated at church on Sunday morning.  We presented Taylor with her own little cross necklace.  It is so tiny and delicate, and a very special gift from us.  My mom made a great breakfast and the kids went swimming with Papa and Chris in the afternoon.  Taylor's homemade Mother's Day card, a bracelet she made at school and a pin that says "I love you mommy" were my highlights and I proudly wear the bracelet alongside my Pandora bracelet.  She wrote some sweet things about me in a little book at school, all of which I am saving in my bureau. 

We are looking forward to a trip to Schnepp Farms this weekend to their Peach Festival.  They have an organic garden you can pick your own veggies and fruit, which will be wonderful.  There is a petting zoo and some other things for the kids to do.  It should be a fun day. 

Wyatt has really gotten great at walking!  He is practically running, and of course has major wipeouts.  He is big enough to get onto the battery 4-wheeler and ride around the yard.  He has fallen off a few times, but gets right back on.  We love to watch him explore his new found freedom that comes with mobility.

Taylor has been able to reach the pedals on her "big bike" with training wheels.  She proudly informed me "don't call me a little girl anymore.  I ride a big girl bike so you don't get to call me little now".  So there!  She will be in the summer program at her school, they will be doing some really neat things like dinosaur week (digging bones) and more.  She is getting to be quite the fish over at my parents house, and loves to grab Harley by the tail and let her pull her around the pool.  It is quite a site.  Harley is true to her breed, a lab is a great retriever!

Pics to follow soon!  Wyatt's mobility has left me exhausted at the end of each day, his energy is endless! 

Surrender

This was sort of the topic at at church last week, and guess what?  This week it hit home!  Why does that always happen?  Everytime I hear a sermon I am able to directly apply it within days.  I know you can agree with me on this!  This week was no different.  It has been a long week, ups and downs and some really crazy stuff going on.  Stuff I have no control over, which is an issue for me.  I have now laid it down for God and his Son to take over.  That is such a great feeling, to just let it go and KNOW I don't have the answers and I don't need to know all the time!  I like to say to myself "humility gains peace and grace" does that make sense?  I know I don't have the answers, don't need to know them, therefore by being humble and handing my stuff onto my creator I gain so much peace!  For a control freak this is not achieved without serious prayer.  I have prayed so much this week, mostly last night that I finally feel that peace.  I have surrendered once again, giving the power back where it belongs and letting HIS will be done.  I know without a doubt great things happen when I humbly do this, they have throughout my life.  In fact, the BEST things in my life have happened when I have done this.  I know the answers will come through loud and clear in the next couple of weeks and regardless of what they may reveal, I am ready to receive them.  One will change things so drastically that at the moment I just can't even start to fathom it, and the other will bring some saddness but also clarity in the future!  I know this is vague, but the details aren't really important.  The babble of what I am praying about really doesn't matter, what matters is I am reminded again of how important it is to keep praying, and seeking that peace that comes with having an authentic relationship with my creator.  Laying down my concerns and questions have given me a peace once again.  After a good session of prayer I always feel so light, the physiological aspects of prayer are really amazing.  I feel them so intensely that I guess I was moved to share them.  My senses are heightened and the lightness, almost "airy" feeling I get in my chest is wonderful.  A deep sense of relief, peace and knowing that things happen for a reason gives me hope and confidence in what the next few weeks will reveal. 

Hittin' the streets, for tiny feet!

Saturday, April 17th, was the March of Dimes, March for Babies.  This was my 3rd walk in 4 years, and the largest one I have walked.  Wyatt, Chris and I got up very early on Saturday to get to Phoenix in time for the 7:00 a.m. registration, and walk at 8:00!  I love this organization because they have been so effective in their mission of preventing prematurity as well as supporting research and families who are impacted by prematurity.  March of Dimes last campaign was to encourage and educate women on the importance of Folic Acid during their pregnancy, and even before they ever conceived in order to prevent spina bifida as well as other birth defects.  They can take much of the credit for women knowing the importance of prenatal vitamins!  Prematurity is becoming all too common, and March of Dimes has become a leader in helping families to prevent as well as save premature babies. 

As we were getting ready for the walk to begin, I made note of the many teams wearing their team shirts. Many were from hospitals, banks and other businesses.  I was moved most by the families who were wearing the shirts in honor of their little ones.  So many families had shirts with pictures of their babies, so tiny, hooked up to tubes and machines, always pictured with the hand of their mom or dad in the frame.  Under the picture, many families had the name of the baby with the exact dates of their birth and their death.  I cried while we registered as I read the shirts.  Every time I turned around I saw another one, all with dates 3-4 weeks apart.  I cannot fathom that kind of pain.  I found these families incredibly empowering and they really reminded me why I was there.  I was there to support them, because my babies were and are healthy.  I am one of the lucky ones.  As we walked through downtown Phoenix it was so heartening to see families lining the roads to cheer us on.  I snapped a picture of one such family and the signs that were everywhere.  They were yelling, "Thank you!" "Bless you" and so on.  Their sweet babies had survived.  Many of them held signs with their little ones name, picture, some saying "Born 15 week Early....Now 5 years old and Healthy!"...all of them had little anecdotes like that.  It was a sharp contrast to the saddness for the families who had experienced the loss of a child.  I walked feeling so hopeful and amazed that so many people took time to raise awareness and money for a great cause.  Those of us who are blessed with healthy births, babies and get to take our babies home from the hospital right away should really pay it forward.  By the grace of God....

I am hoping to organize such a walk in the next year to raise money of Infantile Scoliosis Outreach Program.  This organization helped us so much, and I know how great these events can be to get the word out.  A friend in Texas (I follow her blog if you are interested) has done this before and I would like to pay it forward!  If you are an expectant mother or going to have babies at some point, check out the March of Dimes website.  It is full of great information on how to prevent prematurity and have a healthy pregnancy and baby!  What a great way to spend the morning.  Hug your babies if you have 'em!